Steven Wong aka Steven Huang Wei Zhang

[NZBC]

New Zealand crisps King was originally dishwasher - 30 years ago he almost died in a catastrophe - 30 years later he is known as the king of the fries. In order to survive for decades he spared no efforts - but now he still marches on.

Strategy adds protein to Wong's crispy business
By Shila Nair

In a world ruled by high-tech computers, Steven Wong has chosen not to use a personal computer. I have no brains for that, he says with a broad grin.

But `Potato Wong as he is popularly known in industry circles, is a brilliant strategist underneath that modesty and the Chinese king of the pre-cooked chilled/frozen potato chip market in New Zealand.

Each week, his East Tamaki-based factory, Fresher Foods Ltd, churns out approximately 400 tonnes of potato chips for consumption in the local and export markets. His is an amazing story of how a worker from a shipbuilding yard in China became a multi-millionaire in New Zealand.

Though Wong had connections in New Zealand (his great grandfather and his grandfather were in New Zealand for a long time before returning to China) before he migrated, he exercised that option only when his sister sponsored him into the country, for better career prospects. He arrived in New Zealand in 1972 and after toiling as a kitchen hand in a hotel and as a worker in a carpet company for almost three years, the entrepreneur in him surfaced.

In 1975, he bought a fish and chips takeaway bar in Blockhouse Bay. While serving the fish and chips I realised that the customer had to wait for a period of time before I could serve him. I thought it would be a good idea if someone could market pre cooked chips which takeaways could fry and serve quickly, he said

Wong s idea took shape in 1979 and he set up Fresher Foods Limited. He did all the chip-making work, manually and delivered them to takeaway bars. His concept took off and demand increased. In 1983, he established a semi-automatic factory in East Tamaki which made pre-cooked, chilled chips. When business boomed, he bought a fully automated chip making plant and shifted his factory premise to Cryers Road, East Tamaki, over 18 acres of land.

When foreign multinationals producing frozen-chips came into the country in the1980s, Wong added frozen chips to his business. When you have to protect your market, you must diversify, he said. Building himself a strong market in North Island (he supplies chips to over 400 takeaways bars), Wong has made himself almost indispensable in Auckland and Hamilton. The business only gets bigger in the chip market, he said adding that he intends to remain focused on the chilled/frozen chip segment for a long time.

He has also introduced the Fresher brand of packed, sliced potato chips in four flavours, in the New Zealand market. The product is still in the process of establishing a base in the market. The potatoes are sourced from farms in Hawkes Bay, Waikato, Pukekohe and Opiki. Fresher Foods has a staff of 40, part-time and full-time.

Wong is an active member of the Chinese Association of New Zealand and just about every other Chinese body in New Zealand. He is also the vice-chairman of the Sino-NZ Chamber of Commerce and is of the opinion that New Zealand is a good country to do business in, provided one understands the market and market limitations. His products are also exported to Fiji, Australia and some South East Asian nations.

Steven Wong is comfortably settled in Auckland and lives with wife Mary and their three children at Howick.
www.asianzbc.co.nz/story/15june2002/strategy.asp

[NZBC]

A voice for Chinese migrants

Producing four tonnes of chips an hour is busy work for Steven Wong.

But the hard-working East Tamaki factory owner doesn't stop there.

Mr Wong has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queen's Birthday honours for his services to the Chinese community.

He works six days a week but still finds time to help new migrants in his spare time.

The multi-millionaire from China has been president of the United Chinese Association of New Zealand for the past 11 years.

Mr Wong uses his established business Fresher Foods to help raise funds for the Chinese community.

"I came here in 1972. I know what it's like to be new in a foreign country," he says.

"I work to bring together new migrants and help them integrate into New Zealand life yet still keep their Chinese culture."

Mr Wong speaks both Mandarin and Cantonese and is often called upon as a representative of the Chinese community at parliamentary functions.

"I need to be able to voice the concerns of all Chinese people living in New Zealand," he says.

Mr Wong was also part of the government delegation to Beijing in 2008 led by then Trade Minister Phil Goff to sign New Zealand's Free Trade Agreement with China.

New Zealand life hasn't always been easy for Mr Wong. He migrated after being sponsored by his sister and worked in her fruit store.

Struggling to keep his head above water, Mr Wong worked two jobs. He was a kitchen hand by day and worked in a carpet factory by night.

"I worked six days a week back then and I still do," he says. "My wife also works six days a week. It's what we are used to in our families."

It was Mr Wong's wife Mary who sparked the entrepreneur in him so he started a takeaway business in Blockhouse Bay. "I needed to earn more money to support my children."

Eventually he tired of cooking the chips and moved on to making them.

"I set up Fresher Foods because I felt that in a takeaway business you are waiting for the customer. When you do wholesale or processing, you can go out and look for more business."

Fresher Foods now employs 40 people and runs 24 hours a day from Monday to Saturday. Mr Wong is the main supplier to Auckland and Hamilton takeaways and exports throughout the Pacific.


- Eastern Courier

www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/eastern-courier/5126533/A-voice-for-Chinese-migrants

[NZBC]

Steven Wong
黄瑋璋
黄瑋璋
黄瑋璋
黄瑋璋
Member of the NZ Order of Merit (MNZM)
Another Chinese recipient in this year’s Queen’s Bi
rthday awards, another Aucklander, Steven
Wong
黄瑋璋
from Botany, has been made a Member of the New Zeal
and Order of Merit for his
services to the Chinese community. Steven was born
in Gwa Liang
瓜嶺村
in Zengcheng
增城
in 1948. He came to New Zealand in 1972, hoping to
lead a better life here as his great grandfa-
ther had been in the gold rush in 1860 but returned
to his homeland. At the age of 24, Steven
arrived in New Zealand knowing little English but w
as fluent in both Cantonese and Mandarin dia-
lects, very little money, and was sponsored by his
sister who ran a fruit shop and initially helped
her in the shop.
In order to be self- sufficient, Steven worked very
hard, as was typical of people from the villages,
working 6 days a
week. During the day, he worked as a kitchen hand i
n a hotel and after 4pm, he would be off to work at
a carpet facto-
ry until midnight on the night shift. In 1975, now
married to wife Mary, Steven had saved enough to bu
y his first busi-
ness, a takeaway at Blockhouse Bay in Auckland. Aft
er working his business for 4 years, Steven’s entre
preneurial
streak hit him. Why sell cooked potato chips (frenc
h fries) to people within his shop’s area when you
can reach out to a
whole wider market selling the raw product and not
have the late hours?
So in 1979, Fresher Foods Ltd. french fries manufac
turers, was established in Onehunga, Auckland. To k
eep one step
ahead of his competitors, Steven insisted that qual
ity, sincerity, and good customer relationship was
the key to a suc-
cessful business and he stuck to this approach. By
1995, he bought some land at East Tamaki and built
a modern fac-
tory there where he produces 4 tonnes of raw french
fries an hour employing 40 staff.
Being fluent in both Cantonese and Mandarin and Eng
lish after being in New Zealand for 40 years, Steve
n wanted to
put something back into the community that made him
a successful business man. Using his expertise in
language
and business and being an immigrant himself, he has
helped many old and new immigrants on their proble
ms in set-
tling in this country and to integrate them into th
e New Zealand way of life.
Steven is the president of the United Chinese Assoc
iation of New Zealand for the past 11 years and use
s his business
to help raise funds for the Chinese community. He h
as been recognised for his work as an executive mem
ber of the
NZ China Trade Association and has accompanied trad
e delegations to China and has hosted delegations f
rom China
also. He had accompanied former Prime Minister Hele
n Clark when she signed the landmark Free Trade Agr
eement
in Beijing in 2008.
Over the past two years, Steven has been involved i
n rousing the Chinese community in Auckland in rais
ing funds to
help the Sichuan earthquake appeal, the Taiwan floo
ds, the Pike River disaster and lately, the Christc
hurch earth-
quake when the Auckland Chinese community raised $2
16,300 within a couple of weeks of the disaster.
Despite his heavy workload, Steven still has an amb
ition......he wants to see a Chinese garden built on council owned
land in Auckland as he is a member of the Chinese G
arden Steering Committee . The Association congratu
lates Steven on his achievement. www.tungjung.org.nz/images/stories/newsletters/2011/Spring_issue_2011_pdf.pdf